Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemReading their stories: Year Four students describe and reflect on learning to read( 2022)Reading engagement is a growing area of research as the connection to reading achievement is explored and documented (Cullinan, 2000; Guthrie, 2008). This qualitative research explores reading engagement in a primary school setting by using case study and narrative inquiry methodology to connect theoretical research with the lived experience of six Year Four students. Using data collected through individual interviews and a reading attitude survey, six individual narratives trace the students' memories of learning to read from preschool to their current classroom. These narratives offer some insights into the diversity of student experiences of learning to read and how experiences can shape reading engagement.
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ItemThe espoused and enacted personal practical theories of early childhood teachers inclusive classrooms( 2018)Using the lens of Personal Practical Theories (PPTs), this study investigated the complex interplay of early childhood teacher beliefs, knowledge and practice in inclusive classrooms within the boundaries of a typical preschool session. Broadly, this study sought to identify and explicate the driving forces behind how teachers conceptualised their practices when teaching in inclusive classrooms. This study also aimed to uncover the extent to which the espoused beliefs and knowledge of teachers are congruent with their enacted practices. Four highly experienced early childhood teachers in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, participated in this study, which used case study methodology. Data were collected through self-report questionnaires, classroom observations and semi-structured interviews. Results of this study show that these early childhood teachers had positive PPTs about inclusive education and beliefs about child-centeredness that are generally consistent with existing research. Also consistent with existing research is the finding that preschool routines and child diversity influence the types and frequency of teacher interactions, as well as the extent of congruence observed between early childhood teacher beliefs, knowledge and practice. Teacher professed learning goals for children were found to be congruent with their observed practice through the activity contexts within a typical preschool session. Findings of this study support that teaching experience and teacher ‘craft’ knowledge were significant in influencing beliefs and practice in inclusive classrooms, and impact on the extent of classroom adaptations and differentiated learning experiences for the children. Also evident from the results of this study were strong beliefs towards the socio-emotional development of children and limited evidence of teacher engagement with research and evidence-based practices.
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ItemA framework for quality in international higher education: policy and practice in Chile as a case study( 2018)This study investigates the nature of quality in international higher education and develops a comprehensive framework for analysis, using Chile as a case study. Qualitative data is collected through document analysis, questionnaires to international experts and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in Chile. Based on an adaptive theory approach, the study constructs a framework for quality in international higher education following an iterative process that brings together the previous management theory of quality as continuous improvement and a novel theory emerging from the empirical data. This process yields an expanded and adapted framework for a bounded higher education system. This study enhances our understanding of quality in international higher education and identifies a series of factors and variables that assist in its management in a structured manner.
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ItemAcademic staff and international engagement in Australian higher education( 2016)Australian higher education appears to be in the vanguard of internationalisation worldwide. In line with global changes to higher education, Australian universities have adopted comprehensive international strategies across their teaching, research and outreach agendas. By many measures, this strategic approach to internationalisation has been successful. Given the central role of academic staff within the life of the university, and with international strategies now touching on all aspects of a university’s activity, academic staff are important to the further internationalisation of Australian higher education. Yet little is known about the factors which influence the international engagement of Australian academics (that is, their involvement with the international dimensions of all aspects of their work) and the extent to which they consider international activities an important aspect of their academic work. This study has investigated the engagement of academic staff with the international dimensions of their work. It sought to identify the extent to which different aspects of international engagement have been integrated into contemporary understandings of academic work in Australia, as well as to examine the factors which influence academic staff choices in relation to their international engagement. Based on an Adaptive Theory approach (Layder, 1998), the research took case studies of two universities – a younger progressive university and an older research intensive university – which, between them, are broadly representative of one third of the Australian university sector. Qualitative data were collected through document analysis and in-depth interviews with thirty-seven academic staff drawn from Science and Business disciplines. The study found that the international dimensions of academic work are predominantly centred on research, despite the literature on internationalisation pointing to a more comprehensive focus and despite institutional strategies advocating for a more balanced approach to international engagement. In terms of contributions, the study has conceptualised a typology of international engagement to address the gap identified in the literature in relation to a holistic understanding of the international dimensions of academic work. Further findings are presented in relation to the influence of institutional and disciplinary context, as well as personal and individual factors. Particular to the Australian context is a finding in relation to geographic isolation, which is commonly described as both a driver and barrier to the international engagement of Australian academic staff. This study argues that institutions need to recognise the complex and interweaving nature of the factors which influence academic staff in relation to the international dimensions of their work. This recognition is important if institutions seek to foster greater international involvement amongst their academic community. In addition, institutions could review the role of leadership at the local level in fostering greater international engagement beyond research, as well as reconsider the availability of funding and technology to mitigate the barrier to international engagement of Australia’s distance from other countries.